Davis Chevrolet in Airdrie has partnered with Calgary Stampeders defensive tackle Randy Chevrier to bring awareness and educate children on the issue of bullying.

The Tackle Bullying program in Airdrie kicked off in December 2013 and has made three stops to date at Westbrook School in Cochrane, Meadowbrook Middle School in Airdrie and Ecole Airdrie Middle School.

Davis Chevrolet General Manager Glenn Smaha said three other presentations are slated for the near future including at the Airdrie Boys and Girls Club’s Pink Shirt Day on Feb. 26.

“We’re looking to target the middle school and elementary-school-aged children for this program,” said Smaha. “We feel that we can affect more change and positive behaviour in the younger age groups.”

Tackle Bullying also offers a presentation for parents that are shown in the evening.

“A lot of the issues surrounding bullying start at home, so we want to get the parents involved and informed as well,” said Smaha.

Smaha connected with Chevrier through Twitter and found the football player had been running a similar program in Calgary as to what Smaha was looking to establish in Airdrie.

“His (Chevrier’s) beliefs and initiatives aligned with what we were looking to do up here,” said Smaha. “He’s a strong community advocate and he has a level of status to get his message out. Our role is just to facilitate him and arrange the booking and get him out in the community.”

The one-hour presentation focuses on the concepts and roots of bullying, while establishing the differences between the bully and the bullied. Chevrier delves into what to do when confronted by bullying and encourages bystanders to speak up when they see it happening.

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